1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a case or tray having a custom layout, and more particularly, to a case or tray having an impression foam layout and method for making the same.
2. Background
Various cases and trays for containing various items are known and used in multiple industries. For example, tool cases are known. Such tool cases sometimes include a foam or molded layer to hold the tools or items in place. However, these cases are typically permanently formed in the factory for a specific purpose.
To the extent that the user desires to create a customized case for a specific purpose, a factory made case is not suitable. Various options have been attempted. For example, a “pick and pluck” foam material has been used in order to enable a user to pluck out sections of foam to create holes for items. However, these materials do not allow for a close fit, as the foam is either present or not present in the hole, and thus, the cavity formed does not follow the contour of the item intended to be enclosed.
Furthermore, with such items, the foam layer is very flexible and may not hold items in place, and the surfaces are porous and subject to being ruined by dirt, grease, or moisture.
Various uses for impression foam have been made in other applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,744 issued to Bieganek et al., discloses a method for evaluating clearance from a contoured seat cushion. An impression foam material is used to evaluate how a person's body relates to a seat. However, the impression foam is merely used as a tool to evaluate pressure in various areas, and not used as a usable product.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,376, issued to Hetzel et al., impression foam is again used to form a negative impression of a person's sitting profile. This information is used in producing a suitable wheel chair cushion, however, no final product is produced containing the impression foam.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,373,678, issued to Hetzel et al., discloses a seat cushion with an adjustable contour. An insert is used to change the contour of the surface of the cushion.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,262,862, issued to Klaveness, a method is disclosed in which an object is pressed down into a membrane for the purpose of creating a three-dimensional scan of the object. However, no method of producing a suitable tray or case is disclosed.
Thus, there continues to be a need for a customizable case or tray which can be configured to hold user-selected items with a tight fit and suitable attributes.